Lost
by RaysenTra
Summary: One year after the Time-Compression crisis, Squall, Laguna and the others are confronted by an adversary that threatens to destroy the very fabric of reality. But, when a hero falls, will they be able to carry on?
1. Prologue

Prologue:

It takes a few moments for everybody to get ready. Tensions and emotions are high. People are feeling very uneasy, but who can't blame them? They cover the streets of the town erratically, waiting for the screen to light up and somebody step on stage. They have been kept in the dark for long, yet most know that something has happened. Countless lives have been lost, and there's an irreparable hole in their souls.

They gather at the main plaza near the Timber Maniacs office building. Timber being a rather small, industrial township compared to the metropolis. The townsfolk, composed of mostly former rebels against their iron-fisted government, are people very aware of circumstance and the ineffable consequences it entails. Perhaps this is because the Timber Maniacs, which in itself is the most accurate, independent periodical publication on current world events, dwells near the heart of the town. Or perhaps it is because the townsfolk were so repressed by Galbadia's former, not to mention late, president, Vinzer Deling, that they have come to understand to an enormous degree what is like to be deceived with pretty colored lies.

Regardless of which statement is more correct, the usually strong citizens of Timber quail in fear right this moment as they stare into the sky to the largest building. A large, bone colored edifice that contains The World's only radio-wave communication television station. Communication through radio waves had all but disappeared after the end of the Sorceress War decades before. After the war ended and the mighty Esthar disappeared, Galbadia, under the rule of President Deling, invaded Timber and its nearby township, Dollet. It's in Dollet where the Radio Communication Tower resides, high above the town in a neighboring mountain top.

After the invasion, radio waves, which had been an incredible asset for the country during the war against Esthar's ruler, were almost as if banned. Communication between townships became harder, cutting some of them completely off, such as the small, rural town of Winhill, composed primarily of small wooden shacks and one road that runs along the length of the town. The continent of Galbadia asserted its position in The World by controlling most aspects of the daily lives of its people. As a military power, radio waves became focal in which they were used to guide target-missiles to great lengths. It became very likely that power was the motivating factor.

But that is all in the past.

For a little over a year now, The World is living in a renaissance where rights and politics have a domain, the people. Galbadia, Esthar and the snow-covered continent of Trabia to the north are joined to bring order to the people of The World. Their rulers, bounded together by fate more so than circumstance, take their subjects needs front and center, and maintain what can be known as a common piece. They have known each other for quite sometime, and it was only a year before that they survived the Time-compression, such an event that changed history and its participants in ways that they will never be allowed to die and be forgotten. But today they have failed. Millions are dead, and the great adversary walks the plains of Esthar, waiting.

The people of Timber wait patiently, although in some cases this seems very minimal. Then as the clock strikes 7 pm, the TV station's large screens light up. Around The World, people are gathered among several stations like this, cautiously observing as the sienna-colored podium is shown with the flag of the Coalition hanging behind it.

A man of moderate stature wearing a light blue, buttoned down, short-sleeved shirt walks on stage. He stands at the podium and taps it softly. He looks up to the camera and strokes his long, black hair, loosely tied together in a ponytail and pushes it behind his ear. He swallows a bit, mainly because of nerves. He's never been one for speeches. Even if you have never met him or even heard of him or his reputation, you could tell that he was too good-hearted to be hard-as-a-stone when delivering speeches.

As he looks towards the camera, a small gesture escapes into his lips. He smiles gently, as he looks back on that dreadful day. He had survived the entire horde of Esthar's soldiers, entrapped its ruler, and somehow managed to find himself inside the Presidential Palace. Days after deliberation from Esthar's elders concluded, a small man with what seemed like a forced hissing accent who wore a bright-red umbrella as a poncho walked up to him, grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously while saying "Congratulationz, Laguna Loire. You juzt became our Prezident."

He was accompanied by his two best friends. They had been with him since the early days of the war, all through his journey towards Esthar. Years of fighting side-by-side made sure that their bond would be one that would endure far beyond pettiness, idiocy and getting them lost, not to mention nearly killed, behind enemy lines. Kiros Seagill was a tall, very trimmed man of black-colored skin and long beaded locks. He was pessimistic, perhaps a bit too much, but he never lost his temper, always keeping a level head, even in the most dire of situations. Ward Zabach was an intimidating man of large proportions, yet it was his heart that was the most engrossing aspect of him. He was gentle-natured and very loyal to Laguna.

Laguna often speculated that it was because he had a tendency to screw up everything that he touched that he stuck with him. Yet it was Laguna's natural gift to make everybody feel like part of something good and his always optimistic attitude that impressed people. He stumbled into situations and always escaped unscathed, in most cases, assuming we're not going to delve into the embarrassing events that transpired inside Lunatic Pandora; perhaps on a later date.

Yet, he was always a kind man that attracted blind loyalty and friendship. He had power. He defeated an immensely powerful ruler and toppled her government, yet for all he did, he refused to spill blood, because that was not in his nature. That was Laguna then, and that is him now.

He remembers Kiros words to him as Dr. Odine said those words to him.

"If I had half the luck you have," he said shaking his head in utter denial, "I'd have won the lottery three times in a row by now."

He had lived his life with nothing but sheer dumb-luck, friendships that got him through every bit of trouble he encountered and a love that was never realized. But now he's standing inside Timber's TV Station, about to address The World, and he is lost for words.

He's alone. His friends are no longer with him and all that remains is just him and everybody else, connected through the sleepless abyss inside the lens of the camera. He rubs his ring and closes his eyes. Then as he takes a small huff of air, he opens his eyelids and stands upright; grasping the sides of the podium with both hands, and exhales softly.

It's time. . .


	2. Chapter I

Chapter I:

Two days ago, everything was clear. The plains of Esthar shined with light emanating from the nearest star. The sky was clear blue that dwelled in the vicinity of the city were appeased. Esthar was a city, if one could call it that. It was perhaps the most powerful country in The World, as well as incredibly technologically advanced. Esthar's proportions defied belief. It's one of those rare marvels that you have to see it to really believe it.

It's a place that consumes you when you visit it. It takes your entire breath away unapologetically, with its innate beauty and palpable might. Yet its denizens are among the most peaceful people in The World. They'd welcome you into their homes and guide you through this outstanding maze without making you feel any more uncomfortable than you already are.

Today the skies above this mighty city are red. Clouds float away from its position, leaving the city's residents to look upon the crimson-colored shade with nothing but fear and unrest. They know things are going to go wrong. That many of those closest to them are never coming back. Yet they pray for something to make it right. They pray for their leader to protect them as he did decades ago.

The Presidential estate is empty on this day. Laguna is sitting in a small, quiet room surrounded by candlelight. He's seated on a small wooden chair adorned with runic symbols that predated the modern history of Esthar. He leans back against it and calmly puts his right fist to his mouth and exhales softly. He's nervous. He fears what's coming and he doubts himself.

He opens his hand a bit revealing a golden ring. He puts it on the tip of his ring finger and observes it. It shine allows for him to see his reflection almost entirely without much effort. It's an old ring of incredible value of sentiment, yet it is kept well. He rubs it with his thumb and looks past it as the entrance to the tent open slowly.

A young man, who couldn't possibly be older than twenty, steps inside the President's tent. He has golden-colored locks that he keeps standing upright and a black wing-like tattoo on the left side of his face. At first glance he looks like a quiet and pensive young man with slim yet defined physical features, but in reality Zell Dincht is nothing such. He's an uproarious, wild-tempered powerhouse disguised as a kid freshly out of high school.

He walks towards Laguna, dragging his feet through the ground as if he was nervous. "You're gonna stay cooped up here the entire day," he says, "or are you coming out?"

Laguna looks up to him and smiles. "I'm just taking a minute to clear my head," he responds.

"Well, we're all waiting for you, man. We need you out there."

"I know, I know," he takes a deep breath, slides his ring down his finger and pushes himself to his feet. "How's everybody doing out there?"

Zell shrugs and scratches the back of his head, then, "We're barely keeping it together, man. Squall and Quistis are doing the best they can, but it's hard to control an army, much less two."

Laguna looks away from him towards his right. Beside him on the ground lies a silver plated armor with a red-colored shield painted on its shoulder pads. It's the traditional armor of the Galbadian army. The shield being the country's symbol represents the might of its army, an army that despite its technological disadvantages during the war against great Esthar, they managed to stand their own ground and eventually defeat their enemy and push its aggressor out of their territory.

"Are you gonna put it on?" says Zell, looking at the armor on the floor.

Laguna looks up to him smiling and Zell returns the gesture as he steps back out of the tent. Minutes slightly pass by as Zell returns to meet his companions. He walks down the edge of the hilltop where they are rounding up their forces and looks towards the setting sun. He looks at it and wonders slightly why is it taking so long. The sunset calms him a little, but as he looks down the hilltop, he looses his gaze on the thousands of men standing beside the bottom length of the hill and becomes increasingly uneasy.

The entire armies of both Galbadia and Esthar stand across a line that covers slightly over half a mile from east to west. They were gathered nearly 30 miles east of Esthar to prevent the adversary's path towards the city. It became increasingly obvious that it would attack the city next. It had already destroyed three of Esthar's landmarks, Tear's Point, The Lunar Base, and The Sorceress Memorial, annihilating everything and everyone within.

Its path had been true since it first appeared on the anniversary celebration of the victory against the Sorceress of Tomorrow merely four days earlier. After all, it has only been a year since the crisis of the Time-compression, an event that caused the fusion of several timelines, severing them from space. It was stopped by a select group of SeeD mercenaries led by Squall Leonheart that included Zell as well as Quistis Trepe. They confronted the Sorceress and severed the ties that held The World, altering history in the process.

The celebration took place on Balamb Garden, a place that currently lies in ruins and buried deep within the soil of Esthar's southern peninsula. The Garden was a training facility of SeeD, a mercenary organization created by Sorceress Edea Kramer and her husband Cid. They were created to destroy the Sorceress, for it was foretold that at one time this would come to pass. The Sorceress' powers are great, and they transcend time and space, but they are passed with each generation to one woman. Edea possessed these powers at one time, and so did Adel, Esthar's ruler during the Sorceress War.

It was said at one point that SeeD was created simply due to Edea's and Cid's paranoia, that they feared she would become a threat to The World. Yet, in one of life's ironies, Edea became the iron-fisted ruler of Galbadia after being possessed by the Sorceress of Tomorrow. Her hand was tainted with the everlasting stench of blood as she ran rampant with Galbadia's forces, conquering the small quivering townships and cities that lied along her path.

But SeeD intervened and Edea was saved from her own power. The crisis was over and The World got back on its feet. The three governing powers of Esthar, Galbadia and Trabia joined their forces and ushered an era of peace. It has been a year since the day the Coalition formed. Its joyous celebration tainted by a new threat.

Zell proceeded towards a single open lane that led from the hilltop down to the frontline. As he walks towards it, he looks towards his right and sees a dozen or so SeeDs, dressed entirely in white suits and head bands, walking across the plains and positioning themselves behind the last line of the armies, all the way across their length. Behind them, at a considerable distance, lied a single red-colored ship. Shaped somewhat like a Ruby Dragon, its wings extended all over its body's length. At its bottom, Ward was sitting near the main entrance, facing the setting sun in front of him. Zell waved his arm towards him, but did not get a response. Perhaps he's asleep? Or perhaps he just did not see him?

He walks down the lane and looks to his sides. Between every Galbadian soldier, wearing the traditional blue suits and silver plated armor over it, there's an Esthar soldier, wearing Esthar's unique silver coated armor and hollow-eyed mask. They all carry machine guns, excepting those Galbadia officers of higher ranks. Their field uniform consists of a single red suit with black and golden plated shoulder pads and a wrist gun attached to both their hands. They all remain silent, anticipating the adversary's approach with a strange mixture of fear and anger that kept them at ease with themselves.

Zell continued downhill until he finally saw them. Before him were a man and a woman in their late teens, early twenties. From a distance he looked commanding, with an authoritative presence that demanded attention. He was wearing a black-leather coat with white feathers across the neck. His long brown hair tied neatly in a ponytail, excepting the two strands that fall over his face continuously after he tucks them in the back of his ears. On his right hand he holds a weapon, yet no ordinary one at that.

The Gunblade is a fantastic weapon to behold. The handle of the blade is shaped like a revolver, allowing the wielder to cause an immense amount of damage as he pulls the trigger while simultaneously hitting a target. The blade can be customized to wielder's ability. This particular Gunblade is legendary in the fact that only one has ever been produced before it. The handle is the traditional, but the blade is shaped like a dragon's wing and it shines in the darkness with a powerful blue glow. It takes a great deal of discipline and endurance to master the weapon, and Squall possesses both qualities to a great extent. With his Gunblade, he single-handedly defeated the Sorceress of Tomorrow.

The woman, on the other hand, looked much too wise beyond her years. She was outstandingly beautiful, yet graceful and pensive. She was wearing a black blazer over a blue shirt and red scarf. The wrists of the blazer were adorned with golden stripes and Balamb's shield was sown on the right side of the chest. She was wearing a skirt that hanged just over her knees. Then as Zell approached he noticed Quistis was grasping her trademark whip attached to her belt, hidden underneath the blazer. She was wearing black sunglasses that were seemingly hidden underneath her long, golden hair and beneath them lied two sapphire colored eyes that sparkled like gems with an unnerving look of determination.

"Yo, man! What's up?" said Zell as he walked up to them.

"How's Laguna?" responded Squall, sardonically. "Will he grace us with an appearance?"

"He'll be out in a minute," said Zell. "How's everything here?"

Squall shrugged. "Well, the soldiers are getting a bit restless, but other than that they're fine," he said.

"That's fairly understandable. Where's Seifer?"

"Told him to check on Selphie and Irvine on Ragnarok," said Squall. Then after a short look around the field, "He was getting too anxious and it's still a couple of minutes till sundown."

"How are the SeeDs in the back?" interrupted Quistis.

"Just getting in place. Operation Grand Hammer's almost ready," said Zell with a note of unwanted enthusiasm in his voice.

Squall raised his eyebrow, then turned around as if embarrassed by the comment. The wind was slowly picking up strength. This was the first sign that it was about to begin.

Squall turned towards Zell, "Tell them to get in place. I want those summons out as soon as the first wave of magic users release their attack."

Quistis looked at him pensively. "Are we going to take a full charge?"

"Seems the best option right now," responded Squall as he turned around towards the massive, rocky field again.

Quistis looks at him as he discretely bites his lower lip and cracked his knuckles. She knows he's afraid of this confrontation. Not because of the fight, no. He's afraid of what he's going to have to do. Squall has been through so much in his young life, yet through it all there's been no greater defeat than the one suffered days ago. Hopefully, it will all be over soon.

As the sun's last beams fade seemingly through the World's core, the men and women stand their ground awaiting their leader to appear. Laguna steps over to Squall dressed in Galbadia army's armor. He carries on his right arm a standard issue machine gun, same model as the other soldiers. His hair is loose and the wind pushes it to his face as he looks at both nations armies.

"You made it," said Squall.

"Yeah, well. . . I've been dreading this moment since I woke up this morning," responded Laguna in a quiet, somber voice. "Takes me a while to gather my bearings after all that's happened this week."

"I know," Squall said to himself softly.

Laguna looks at him and puts his hand over his shoulder. "Let's just do this, okay?"

Squall looks at him approvingly and Laguna steps up towards the armies that will defend his country. He looks at them through the pale shine of the moonlight and senses their fear. Although that could very well be his own.

He looks behind him and sees Squall, Quistis, Zell and another man, Seifer Almasy, wearing a long grey coat with red crosses painted on its chest. His hair is quite short and colored a very pale orange. He has a scar on his face similar to that of Squall's, yet, unlike his, coming down from the right side of his forehead to his left cheek. Laguna notices how he grasps tightly to his Gunblade, a simple model in comparison to Squall's, but strong nevertheless.

He shows temper and anger as he gazes into the sea of men and women in front of him, while Squall and Quistis remain calm. Zell, on the other hand, keeps jumping, slightly, in the same position while cracking his neck and knuckles erratically. In his mind, he's probably getting more prepared psychologically, rather than physically, but it is not in Zell Dincht's character to ever show any weakness. Very much like Seifer.

As he turns towards the army, Laguna pushes the hair off his forehead. He takes a look towards the dark-blue sky and breathes deeply. The air is getting colder, the wind more powerful. He looks at their faces and smiles. Laguna's smiles came too easily, it was part of who he was. Even in the darkest hours of his life, he looked up to sky and smiled, because he knew he was never alone. He grabs his hair and ties it together in a ponytail, then walks towards the army.

"I know this is a time of fear," he begins, "I know all of you would rather be with your families as we speak. . . I know I am. But we can't. We have to fight an enemy. . . Simple as that. It has brought pain into our lives, it attacked our own ground, so we'll fight it. Because we are mighty, and the mighty never fall unless they fear. I am. Chances are that I will fall here. Many of you will too. But I will not surrender without fighting. I gave my all to this country twenty years ago. Now I ask you to give up your lives for it as well. Because our families, your families, will not be safe if we don't act now.

"Will you help me?"


	3. Chapter II

Chapter II:

The cold wind of the night fell on the field like an anvil. Soldiers struggled to keep level heads as they waited. It had already passed an hour since the sun went down and still no sign of the adversary. They were getting anxious, some very afraid.

Laguna, Squall and Quistis were sitting inside the President's tent. They had been talking sporadically over the last hour. Conversations, though, were scarce, since none of them actually felt like engaging in one. Plus, the nerves barely allowed them to structure sentences, even words, coherently. Laguna was sitting in the same chair he had been sitting prior to Zell walking into the tent. He was reclined and had his left leg up on the arm. Squall had been walking aimlessly across the tent stopping from time to time to look at his wristwatch. Quistis, on the other hand, just stood on the entrance of the tent, looking towards the rising moon

"Are you going to do it?" said Laguna to Squall without raising his gaze from the floor.

Squall and Quistis turned to him. Laguna looked up to his eyes and noticed how pale he looked. He was desperate and he could barely keep it together. He knew just from his look that he was doubting himself, and that was the last thing he needed at the moment.

Squall sighs softly and put his right hand inside his jacket's pocket. "I don't know," he finally responded. Laguna smiled compassionately. He knew this would be bigger than them. At best, he hoped to halt the adversary's journey long enough for the Coalition to come up with a plan to counter the menace.

Laguna took out his ring and played with it using his forefingers and thumbs. He looked at it intently and softly uttered, "Tried getting Elle out of Esthar. But she wouldn't leave."

Squall and Quistis turned towards him, then Squall said, "She'll be fine. Sis can take care of herself."

"But what if we don't succeed here?" Laguna continued.

"Where is she?"

"There's a shelter underneath the Presidential Palace. It was built there during Adel's rule. She wanted a place to hide from her enemies should they ever come into the city."

"How safe is it?" Quistis was quick to ask.

Laguna looked at her then sighed. "State of the art as far as I know. . . But so was the Garden."

Quistis turned towards the entrance again. She was a strong woman, both physically and mentally. But Quistis Trepe was quick to let her emotions get the better of her. It was what got her fired as a SeeD instructor. She was always too close for the bosses comfort.

Then, as if a reminder to himself, Laguna said "I gave the order to release the mechs."

"What's that?" responded Squall as he looked at his wristwatch again.

"Mechs. Androids. Robots. Anything and everything we have. They have been deactivated ever since I took office. I send a squad to Esthar to send them here." He pauses, then says with a note of discouragement in his voice, "They should arrive in awhile."

"We hit her with what we have. . ." said Squall.

Laguna looks at him. "If anything, we can contain her until Dr. Odine can drain her."

"It's too late for that," said Squall. You could feel his anger from the dry tone of his voice. He grabbed the gunblade and walked out of the tent. Laguna shook his head and put his ring back. He pushed himself back to his feet and looked up to Quistis. She was watching walk away until she turned towards Laguna. Her eyes were solemn, yet hinting a good deal of disappointment. It was clear she understood what was going on, and even though she loathed having to take action against a friend, she would do so willingly to prevent others to suffer as she and those closest to her already had.

Laguna grabbed the back of his hair and pulled the string that held his hair tied together. He dropped it on the floor then looked at Quistis. "I love her too, you know? She's like a daughter to me."

Quistis smiled at him. "God knows she could have been. . ."

She turned around and walked away from the tent. Laguna let himself drop on the chair. He was tired of this. He felt like a failure, for not being able to protect his people. For being afraid.

Laguna was awakened by the blows of mighty horns. They were signaling the coming of the adversary and were powerful enough to send an on a blind rage. Laguna ran out of the tent and looked abroad. He saw the Ragnarok lying in wait at a distance. It was their fallback plan. When everything else fails, they would gather the survivors that they could and escape.

To his left he saw Squall screaming orders to the White SeeDs in the back of the line. The summoning would have to hit flawlessly and as effortlessly as possible. Thankfully, SeeDs are experts in harnessing the power of the Guardian Forces, so if anybody could do it, Edea's elite would.

At a distance he could the adversary coming. It was still far away but, in all honesty possible, that was best. It emitted a powerful red aura that flowed off it. Laguna rubbed his ring with his thumb. "Please give me strength, my angel," he muttered to himself.

Then, as if answering, a bright pale light blew off the adversary and raced towards the gathering armies. They cowered and most fell to their knees as the beam flew over them, past the Ragnarok and fell behind the mountains and hills leading to Esthar.

Laguna opened his eyes in desperation as he saw a violent explosion coming from the place where the beams crashed and he suddenly understood. His backup plan had just been annihilated. They were alone.

Laguna opened his eyes.

There were bodies everywhere. The puncturing smell of burnt human flesh ran through his nostrils no matter how he tried covering it. He stood to his knees and looked downward. Then he saw her.

She was still wearing the red dress. It was torn across the legs. The wings, the crimson-colored wings of light flapping and beating. Keeping her feet effortlessly off the ground. She had become something unimaginable. Her lily white face was covered in blood and her eyes, her empty white eyes, glinted with a sparkle of red beneath her flowing black hair.

Laguna tried to stand but he could muster no more strength. His will was great, but his body could not give anymore. He looked at her and tears gathered in his eyes, when he heard a piercing scream that echoed through the night.

Squall stood to his feet with Lionheart on his hands. He thrust himself against her but he was stopped. An unseen field blocked his path and prevented his movement. He tried to lift his blade but right hand was shattered from within and it fell. A blood spattering scream flew off his lips as he felt his constrained body being broken by a mere look from the adversary.

Laguna tried to scream his name but it came out as less than a whisper. He crawled towards Squall, desperately trying to push himself to his feet. He fell to his knees once more and let himself go. He was beaten.

A piercing scream ripped through the night and Laguna looked onward. Squall's body dropped to the ground. His eyes looked cold, his face pale and his body broken. Laguna looked into his eyes with surprise. His hands trembled. His lips quivered from desperation, then he was overcome with pain. He coughed and dropped his head on the floor, tasting the bitter taste of his own blood on his lips. Then a he felt the wind hit his body harder than before. He looked up and Rinoa was standing merely feet away from him. Laguna pushed his body to its feet. His breathing was fast and pressured. He looked at her and coughed.

She twitched her head and her red-colored gaze suddenly twinkled. Laguna's body was shoved back and she released an ear-shattering wail that consumed every thought or word spoken in its radius. The ground shook and a white flash blew off her body. It took to the skies and vanished along with her.

Then in the distance a loud roar could be heard. Laguna gritted his teeth and let out a powerful scream doused in pain and anger. His eyes swelled with tears and he wailed as his beloved Esthar was destroyed in the distance. He let himself go and closed his eyes when he heard a cold whisper clawing its way through his ear drums.

It was over. He had failed.


End file.
